No matter how many times sports commentator Joaquin Henson had announced yesterday that ABS-CBN was broadcasting the Pacquiao-Morales fight live, I did not believe him. So did many televiewers who were so frustrated that the fight has not started yet although text messages have been circulating all over the world that Pacquiao had won by TKO in the 10th round.

For reasons known only to them, our cable tv service provider did not air the South African sports channel where we watched live all Pacquiao fights in the past. Maybe ABS-CBN protested so that people will have no choice but to switch to their channel or troop to the widescreens they have set up in malls and other public places in the city.

I had tried to search the Internet for webcasts but I did not find a free site. One of them wanted me to pay US$19.95 through credit card. And why should I? I will get to see the fight for free on ABS-CBN anyway, even if it meant sitting in front of the tv for three hours.

Then, I stumbled on ESPN. It had a round by round account of the fight and these were posted quite fast, almost real time. Then there is this forum in another boxing site where the topic was the on-going fight. All I had to do was keep clicking the refresh button of my browser to get the latest posts.

By the time the Philippine National anthem was being sung on television to signal the beginning of The Battle, ESPN already had a result: Pacquiao kayoes Morales in the 10th. Other websites also had similar screaming headlines. Not to be outdone, INQ7.net posted Pacquiao’s victory in its website, quoting a live radio coverage of the boxing event.

The lesson: next time Manny Pacquiao fights, watch it in the Internet!


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